Brodoclea Woodland Farm
Brodoclea Woodland Farm
Our Brodoclea Woodland Farm covers 174ha and is home to our woolly pigs. The site, through our careful agroforestry management, currently contributes to fighting climate change and demonstrates sustainable farming practices. You can take a look at our work in action in the video below. Winner of the Farm Woodland Young People’s Award, David Carruth show us around Brodoclea in the video below.
Award-winning Agroforestry
At Brodoclea, the farming activities enhance the woodland rather than the other way round. Our woodland and farm activities are entirely integrated. To support our ongoing work at Brodoclea, we retail 60-80 pigs a year which are then sold directly to customers through our online shop The Woolly Pig Company. The meat from the breed is highly sought-after as it is a healthy and nutrient-rich product due to the environment it was raised in. It is one of most ethically produced and environmentally friendly meats on the market in the UK today.
David Carruth won the Young People’s Award for Farm Woodland at Scotland’s Finest Woods Awards 2023 for his efforts in showing innovation in developing farm woodlands. David was celebrated for his exemplary use of both woodland and agricultural practice at Brodoclea, proved to benefit the farming operation while showcasing high quality woodland management, with all woodland activities taking place on the site being entirely integrated and supported by farming activity.
Woolly pigs
Brodoclea is home to our Mangalitsa woolly pigs. They live outside all year round in 10-15 year old woodland of primarily broadleaf trees, grazing and rooting around on the forest floor for most of their food. The pigs manage the forage, removing thick stands of bracken and other vegetation. They turnover and beat down the dominant species, allowing other species of plants and young trees to thrive. In the summer, 95% of their total food is found through this natural behaviour, with around 70% in the depths of winter.
Mob grazing
To maximise their effectiveness in this role, we mob graze five separate groups of Mangalitsa pigs through twenty paddocks, rotating every two to four weeks depending on the season. This process helps feed the soil food web and awakens the seed bank, and the forage bounces back quickly with a much more diverse mix, helped along by the manure from the pigs, decomposing plant matter and seed spread by the pigs.
Benefiting ecology
The local ecology responds well to the work of the pigs as it creates opportunities for birds, invertebrates, insects and small mammals. It provides new places for tree seedlings to grow, creates ‘pondlets’ where frogs can breed and birds feed, and even provides hair for birds’ nests.
Reforestation
The reforestation project on Brodoclea has been taking place over several years. The site boasts areas of mature woodland. This has created a diverse reforested landscape with trees at every stage of life.
We will continue to plant a mixture of trees using a range of tree species, extending existing woodland habitat networks and enhancing biodiversity. Explore Brodoclea on our interactive map below.
Birds Species
Over 40 bird species were recorded at Brodoclea during summer 2022, with over 30 considered to be breeding. This included species of high conservation concern, such as Whinchat, Lesser Redpoll and Wood Warbler. Dipper were found to be breeding on one of our streams whilst Sedge Warblers were spotted elsewhere. Buzzards, Kestrel and even Osprey were noted to be present over the site. Brodoclea shows what is possible if a site is managed sensitively for birdlife.
Wildflowers
Brodoclea is home to a dazzling array of wildflowers, especially in the gorges and wetlands across the various young woodland compartments. Species such as the Marsh Ragwort, Marsh Woundwort, Ragged Robin, Flag Iris and Slender Tufted-Sedge are all present, alongside Wild Angelica, Meadowsweet and Devil’s-Bit Scabious.
We will be carrying out more detailed surveys of the flora at Brodoclea in 2023, which will enable us to focus our long-term biodiversity conservation work.
Wildlife
At Brodoclea, we continue to survey and record the wildlife we have on the site. The mosaic and variety of habitats at Brodoclea provides a home for a wealth of wildlife, from brown hares to glue-stick fungus through to over seven species of butterfly, spotted to date. We take great pride in watching and recording our wildlife as it means our holistic approach to managing the land is working.
Community
Engaging with local community groups and bringing people back onto the hillside is important to us. The woodland is open to everyone and walking routes through the site can be accessed from the community access gate.
